Cartridge fountain pen



July 2, 1963 F. .1. RANSOM ETAL AI TORNEY' 3,095,860 CARTRIDGE FUUNTAIN PEN Frederick J. Ransom and Charles K. Lovejoy, Atlanta, Ga., assignors to Scripto, Inc., a corporation of Georgia Filed May 1, 1962, Ser. No. 191,519 2 Claims. (Cl. nil-45.4)

This invention relates to writing instruments and more particularly to an improved feed section for a cartridgefilled fountain pen.

The invention resides in the arrangement comprising a one-piece plastic feed section having a piercing tube formed at its rearward end, with an internal bore that is provided with capillary ink feed grooves that extend forward from its rearward extremity, and a one-piece plastic feed bar having capillary ink feed grooves formed along one surface and extending throughout its length. The rearward portion of the feed bar has a tail section that is partially disposed within the forward portion of internal bore of the piercing tube so that a portion of the capillary feed grooves formed in the piercing tube run for a short distance adjacent the capillary ink feed grooves formed on the feed bar. By this arrangement the ink-air transfer is regulated from a point within the piercing tube that is positioned in the ink cartridge.

In the past, the entry of air into a closed reservoir system of a fountain pen which results in a transfer of an equal volume of ink from the reservoir to the feed bar, has been controlled by the aperture formed at the rear of the nib slit. This arrangement made available a puddle of ink that resided between the nib aperture, or heart of the pen and the end of the feed bar. In such prior art arrangements, air entered the'closed system as small bubbles and would frequently vary the supply of ink that was forward of the heart of the pen and available for writing which resulted in a variation in the intensity of the Written line.

In the arrangement of the present application control of the counter-flow of air into the reservoir and ink to the point is shifted rearwardly to within the piercing tube where the feed bar and piercing tube capillary ink feed grooves extend in parallel adjacent relation.

The capillary ink feed grooves are narrower and deeper at the point end and the path for the ingress of air becomes progressiveiy larger toward the reservoir moving through the following three sections, namely; the feed bar proper, the section of the piercing tube where the capillary ink feed grooves are adjacently arranged, and the rear portion of the piercing tube.

These and other advantages of the present invention become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation in partial cross section of the fountain pen embodying our present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view showing the feed bar and feed section arrangement;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged transverse cross section taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, transverse cross section taken along line 4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the feed bar removed from the feed section, and;

1G. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the rearward extremity of the piercing element shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing and to that embodiment here chosen by way of illustration, the device shown in FIG. 1 includes a barrel 10 threadably engaged to the feed section generally denoted as 20. A cap 12 is arranged to be placed over the feed section 20 frictionally engaging the ring 11 for holding the cap in atent ice place when the pen is not in use. A liner 16 is fitted within the cap 12 and abuts the end of the feed section 20 to form an airtight seal over the point to prevent the drying of the ink at the point. The exterior of the cap is provided with a conventional clip 13.

A pair of shoulders 18 and 18 are formed in the rearward portion of the barrel 10 to restrict the rearward movement of a cartridge 50 which is received within the barrel 10. The shoulders are so formed that a long, slender cartridge will abut the shoulder 18 While a short and thicker cartridge will abut the shoulder 18'.

The feed section 20 is molded of plastic and has a forward bore 21 and a rear bore 22 of substantially the same diameter. The forward bore 21 is designed to receive feed bar 30 while the rear bore 22 is adapted to receive the forward end of the cartridge 50. Within the rear bore 22 of the feed section 20 there is formed a piercing tube member 23, having its rearward extremity formed on a bias so as to form an edge which is capable of puncturing the closure membrane of the ink cartridge 50 and provide access to the fiuid contents of said cartridge 51) through the central bore 24 of the piercing tube member 23.

Within the piercing tube member 23 there are longitudinally extending, integrally formed capillary ink feed grooves 25 and 25. These extend throughout the bore 24 of the piercing tube member 23.

Along the length of the upper surface of the feed bar 30 complementary to the ink feed grooves 25 and 25' of piercing tube member 23, a pair of capillary ink feed grooves 31 and 31' are formed. At the end of the feed bar 30 there is a reduced diameter tail section 32 of generally semi-cylindrical shape which is fitted within the forward portion of the bore 24 of the piercing tube member 23.

It will be noted that the forward portion of the feed bar 30 is provided with conventional overflow chambers 33; also a conventional point or nib 34 is mounted on the feed bar 30 and held in contiguous relationship by a frictional fit within the forward bore 21. The feed bar 30 is aligned within forward bore 21 of feed section 20 by keyslot arrangement 36.

The dimensions of the capillary ink feed grooves 31 and 31 of feed bar 30 have a Width of .008" while the depth varies from .016 at the tail section 32 assembled within piercing tube 23 to .025" in the feed bar proper. The ink feed grooves 25 and 25' of the piercing tube 23 have a Width and depth of .010". It can been seen that the capillarity increases toward the point as the width of the grooves narrow and the ink capacity is increased as the depth of the grooves is increased.

It will also be noted that above the ink feed grooves 31 and 31' of the feed bar 30 there is an air channel 35' having a depth of .015" and a width of .041 which uniformly extends back to where the tail section enters the bore 24 of the piercing tube member 23. The air ingress space is progressively enlarged moving from the air channel 35 of feed bar 30 to the portion where tail 32 is fitted within piercing tube 23, and then to the rear portion of bore 24 of piercing tube 23 to facilitate the entry of air into the closed system.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides an air-ink counter-flow system having an enlargement of area for the entry of air into the cartridge reservoir from the forward portion toward the rear portion of the feed bar and feed section arrangement, while on the other hand providing a narrowing of ink feed grooves for increased capillary action, and a deepening of ink feed grooves for increased ink storage, from the rear portion toward the point.

Such an arrangement provides a free counter-flow systern. The control of the counter-flow is located Where the tail section 32 of the feed bar 30 is fitted into piercing tube 23. The adjacent, parallel, coextensive overlapping relation of the grooves 31 and 31 in the tail section 32 with the grooves 25 and 25' in the piercing member 23 provides a sensitive metering control adjacent the closed reservoir.

The ink flow toward the point involves the lateral transfer from one capillary ink feed groove 25 or 25' to an adjacent capillary ink feed groove 31 or 31' which accomplishes the controlled metering of the fluid.

It will thus be seen that the present invention provides a simple, eificient and effective cartridge fountain pen in which the ink will flow freely when required in use but will not flood. The smooth, replacement interchange of air and ink eliminates frothing which will cause a variation in line density; therefore, the pen of the present invention produces a line of uniform density whether the pen be moved fast or slow during writing.

It will, of course, be understood that the device here presented is by way of illustration only and is meant to be in no way restrictive, therefore, numerous changes and modifications may be made, and the full use of equivalents resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as outlined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a cartridge fountain pen having a barrel, a feed section at the forward end of said barrel and in axial alignment therewith, piercing means having a bore therein carried by said feed section, said piercing means being so disposed to pierce an ink cartridge when carried within said barrel, a feed bar carried by said feed section, and a point mounted axially contiguous with said feed bar, the combination therewith of a first plurality of ink feed grooves formed on the upper surface of said feed bar extending rearwardly the full length of said feed bar and adapted to conduct ink by capillary action, an air channel overlying said feed grooves and adapted to allow air to enter the reservoir, 2' second plurality of ink feed grooves formed Within the bore of said piercing means, said second plurality of ink feed grooves extending for a portion of their length in adjacent, parallel, overlapping relationship with a portion of the length of said'first plurality of ink feed grooves, the arrangement being such that ink from said ink cartridge is conducted through one of said second plurality of ink feed grooves in said piercing means, and is transferred laterally to enter one of said first plurality of grooves for feeding to'the point, the capillarity and ink storage capacity of said first plurality of ink feed grooves being greater than said second plurality of said ink feed grooves, and said bore of said piercing means having an area greater than said air channel of said feed bar to facilitate ingress of air within the closed system, the air-ink counter-flow metering action being controlled by theoverlapping arrangement of said first and second plurality of ink feed grooves.

2. In a cartridge fountain pen having a barrel, a feed section at one end of said barrel and in axial alignment therewith, a piercing member having a bore therethrough carried by said feed section, said piercing member being so disposed as to pierce an ink cartridge when carried within said barrel, a feed bar removably carried by said feed section, a point disposed on said feed bar, said point having a body with nibs at the forward end of said body, an axial slit in said nibs terminating at an aperture in said body, said feed bar and said point being axially aligned and contiguous with each other, the combination therewith of a tail piece on the rearward end of said feed bar, said tail piece being adapted to be received within the forward portion of the bore formed in said piercing memher, an ink feed groove in said feed bar extending from its forward end to the extremity of said tail piece, an air channel in said feed .b-ar parallel to and overlying said ink groove, said air groove extending from substantially the tip of said feed bar to the extremity of said tail piece, a complementary ink groove in said bore of said piercing member, said complementary ink groove being aligned with and adjacent to said feed bar ink groove, and partially overlapping a portion of said feed bar ink groove such that ink must be transferred laterally from said complementary ink groove to said feed bar ink groove, a complementary ai-r channel in said bore of said piercing member, said complementary air channel being aligned with and adjacent to said feed bar air channel and partially overlapping said feed bar, the complementary air channel of said piercingmember being of greater area than the air channel of said feed bar to facilitate ingress of air within the closed reservoir system, the capillarity and ink storage capacity of said feed .bar ink groove being greater than said piercing tube ink feed groove, the air-ink counter-flow being controlled by the metering action effected by the overlapping arrangement of said ink feed grooves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,881,737 Young Apr. 14, 1959 2,935,968 Morse et al. May 10, 1960 2,964,012 Kahn et al. Dec. 13, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 878,117 Great Britain Sept. 27, 1961 

1. IN A CARTRIDGE FOUNTAIN PEN HAVING A BARREL, A FEED SECTION AT THE FORWARD END OF SAID BARREL AND IN AXIAL ALIGNMENT THEREWITH, PIERCING MEANS HAVING A BORE THEREIN CARRIED BY SAID FEED SECTION, SAID PIERCING MEANS BEING SO DISPOSED TO PIERCE AN INK CARTRIDGE WHEN CARRIED WITHIN SAID BARREL, A FEED BAR CARRIED BY SAID FEED SECTION, AND A POINT MOUNTED AXIALLY CONTIGUOUS WITH SAID FEED BAR, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF A FIRST PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES FORMED ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID FEED BAR EXTENDING REARWARDLY THE FULL LENGTH OF SAID FEED BAR AND ADAPTED TO CONDUCT INK BY CAPILLARY ACTION, AN AIR CHANNEL OVERLYING SAID FEEL GROOVES AND ADAPTED TO ALLOW AIR TO ENTER THE RESERVOIR, A SECOND PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES FORMED WITHIN THE BORE OF SAID PIERCING MEANS, SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES EXTENDING FOR A PORTION OF THEIR LENGTH IN ADJACENT, PARALLEL, OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP WITH A PORTION OF THE LENGTH OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES, THE ARRANGEMENT BEING SUCH THAT INK FROM SAID INK CARTRIDGE IS CONDUCTED THROUGH ONE OF SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES IN SAID PIERCING MEANS, AND IS TRANSFERRED LATERALLY TO ENTER ONE OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF GROOVES FOR FEEDING TO THE POINT, THE CAPILLARITY AND INK STORAGE CAPACITY OF SAID FIRST PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES BEING GREATER THAN SAID SECOND PLURALITY OF SAID INK FEED GROOVES, AND SAID BORE OF SAID PIERCING MEANS HAVING AN AREA GREATER THAN SAID AIR CHANNEL OF SAID FEED BAR TO FACILITATE INGRESS OF AIR WITHIN THE CLOSED SYSTEM, THE AIR-INK COUNTER-FLOW METERING ACTION BEING CONTROLLED BY THE OVERLAPPING ARRANGEMENT OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND PLURALITY OF INK FEED GROOVES. 